Anyone out there remember tales of harvesting ice as a business? Did they put straw or sawdust between the blocks? I had always heard straw, but internet sites have sawdust. Or was that just what was available? When did the ice harvest stop and machinery take over? I remember one farmer had his own brick ice house, but his family were early pioneers. We had a 1938 Fridgadire? when I was a kid, but the houses across the street still put the 25/50# signs in the window. Thanks, Joanie -- Streatorland Historical Society 306 South Vermillion Street Streator, Illinois 61364 Monday - Friday 9:30 - 2:30 Sunday 1 - 4 p.m.

Joanie ... if you see Rosemary, tell her that Linda's friend Ray Gold sent this to me in reply to your question. I hear Rosemary isn't feeling good, please tell her to get well quick from me. Ray is an 85 year young cousin of mine. Who happens to live a hop, skip and jump from Al Askevold, south of Springfield, MO. "No I don't have any stories about harvesting Ice, but I do remember the old ice box, I did have one, but don't know what I did with it. I guess I gave it away, I remember we sold ice at the Hurley Farmers Exchange in 25 or 50 lb blocks, Then came the recriminator and the freezer, so now it is just part of the past. We also didn't have TV, radio, computer, electric irons, and many other gadget that we think nothing about, bur if we mention anyone of them to our ancestors, they would be puzzled, wondering what in the heck we were talking about, And so it was. and they were just as happy then as we are now, but they did not expect as much as we do now. I could write a lot here about this, but It really don't make much sense to the younger people of today, so I will hush right here, ha ha ha. yes, we used sawdust, it washed off real easy, just floated off, easy ."

What about the ice plant that was at Spring Lake? I've heard a couple of stories--that the first plant was taken out by a tornado in the 19-teens or earlier and then rebuilt but demolished on purpose (maybe in the '40s?). You can still see part of the dam structure out there, and I have an old (1925) USGS topographic map--the same one that hangs by the microfilm machine at the Streator library--that shows Spring Lake as a real lake. Tim --- Gini G <ginig@comcast.net> wrote: > Joanie ... if you see Rosemary, tell her that > Linda's friend Ray Gold sent > this to me in reply to your question. I hear > Rosemary isn't feeling good, > please tell her to get well quick from me. > > Ray is an 85 year young cousin of mine. Who happens > to live a hop, skip and > jump from Al Askevold, south of Springfield, MO. > > "No I don't have any stories about harvesting Ice, > but I do remember the > old ice box, I did have one, but don't know what I > did with it. I guess I > gave it away, I remember we sold ice at the Hurley > Farmers Exchange in 25 > or 50 lb blocks, Then came the recriminator and the > freezer, so now it is > just part of the past. We also didn't have TV, > radio, computer, electric > irons, and many other gadget that we think nothing > about, bur if we mention > anyone of them to our ancestors, they would be > puzzled, wondering what in > the heck we were talking about, And so it was. > and they were just as > happy then as we are now, but they did not expect as > much as we do now. I > could write a lot here about this, but It really > don't make much sense to > the younger people of today, so I will hush right > here, ha ha ha. > > yes, we used sawdust, it washed off real easy, > just floated off, > easy ." > > > ============================== > View and search Historical Newspapers. Read about > your ancestors, find > marriage announcements and more. Learn more: > http://www.ancestry.com/s13969/rd.ashx > > __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - Helps protect you from nasty viruses. http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail